Students are rallying for upper-division radio-television-film class ‘Filmmaking to Decolonize’ to continue during future semesters after it was cancelled for spring 2023.

Filmmaking to Decolonize is a production class focused on voicing marginalized communities through all levels of production by providing a space for diversity, equity and inclusion. The class launched this past spring, and lecturer Vanessa Uhlig said the growing interest in it has shown through increased student turnout each semester. Though students say this class created a comfortable space for them, it has been canceled next spring due to tight scheduling, budget issues and return of professors on leave.

Now, current and former students are sending letters to Jay Bernhardt, Moody College of Communication dean, and Cindy McCreery, the area head for media production and screenwriting, to express the benefits of this production class.

“Decolonizing is about the effort to take back the power of narrative, and the power of storytelling,” Uhlig said. “This class is about articulating and using the power of your voice as a political tool.”

Uhlig said she has seen student advocacy and this is beyond what she would have ever expected.

Uhlig said Filmmaking to Decolonize starts off with theory-based learning that leads into teaching cinematography, sound design, directing and editing, all with an additional layer of understanding how these techniques can have implications on the systems of oppression and reclaiming power. 

“I saw a shared feeling in my class, and I contacted some of the people I knew that took it last semester,” said Marlon Smith, a radio-television-film junior who is currently in Filmmaking to Decolonize. “The feeling was the same because we had all enjoyed this class very much. I think it was a common agreement that we were going to start writing letters to Jay Bernhardt and Cindy McCreery.”

Miguel Alvarez, an assistant radio-television-film professor, said he thinks the cancellation is a matter of instructional budgeting and course scheduling. Alvarez greenlit the class and continues to be an advocate and mentor for Filmmaking to Decolonize. Alvarez said he hopes it returns because it’s a supportive environment that allows students to tell stories while feeling empowered.

“Many elective classes at Moody and UT are not offered every semester to allow for a greater variety of course rotations,” said Kathleen Mabley, the Moody chief marketing and communications officer, in an email. “RTF hopes to bring this elective back in the future.”